At the base of the Wall, the wildling party led by Tormund Giantsbane prepared to climb. The Wall was supposedly 800 feet high all the way around, but the wildlings had found a place where there was a hill leaning against the Wall on their side. The hill was 300 feet high, which would make the first part of the climb easier.

Tormund led the way up the hill. The other wildlings followed, with Orell, Ygritte, and Brian bringing up the rear. When Tormund got to the top of the hill, he drove an iron stake into the side of the Wall with a hammer. He stepped onto the stake and drove another one in above it. Then he climbed on top of that stake and drove another one in. One by one, the rest of the party followed him. They were all roped together.

Brian tried not to look down. Instead, he concentrated on the ice in front of him. The fog was clouding his vision, and his eyes kept playing tricks on him. At one point, he thought he saw something moving inside the Wall, but then he realized he was just seeing his own reflection in the ice.

When they were about halfway up, a thing happened that was bad and not good. Ygritte's foot struck the Wall. Like all the climbers, she was wearing spiked shoes, and when the spikes hit the Wall, they caused a crack in the ice. It was a small crack at first, but it slowly lengthened, running upward until it was level with the top of Ygritte's head. Then a massive sheet of ice dislodged from the Wall. The entire section supporting Ygritte and Brian dropped off. Suddenly, the two of them were hanging precariously in space, with only the people above them holding them up!

Then more shit happened. Brian looked up to see Orell pulling a knife out of his backpack and cutting the rope. "What are you doing, man?" he cried.

"We can't keep climbin' with the two of you pullin' us down!" Orell said.

"So, you're just gonna let us fall to our deaths?"

Orell smiled evilly. "Yep."

Ygritte looked scared, but she did not scream. Brian admired how she always remained calm even in the face of death. It gave him courage as well, making him able to act quickly for once in his life. Just before Orell finished sawing through the rope, Brian swung to the left and planted a hook in the ice. He grabbed it and held on with all his might.

Orell still cut the rope, but instead of falling all the way to the ground, Ygritte only fell a short distance. She and Brian were still tied together. Brian hung from his hook, and Ygritte hung from Brian.

Brian looked down at her. "You okay?"

"I'll be fine," she gasped. "I just need to catch my breath."

"Well, looks like the only way out is up," Brian said. After resting for a few seconds, Brian pulled another stake out of his backpack and drove it into the ice above them. He and Ygritte continued climbing hand over hand, separate from the main line of ascenders. Brian discovered hidden reservoirs of strength he didn't know he had, and in the end, the two of them reached the top of the Wall before the rest of the group.

As Brian stood on top of the Wall, he was exhausted but happy. He had actually accomplished something for once. For the first time since joining the Watch, he felt like a real hero.

Next to him, Ygritte was awed by the view south of the Wall. She pointed at a tall tower. "Who built that, all of stone like that?" Ygritte asked. "Some king?"

"No. Just the men who used to live here."

"What 'appened to them?"

"They died or went away."

"They were fools to leave such a castle," said Ygritte.

Brian laughed. "That's not a castle. It's just a little tower house. My home, Winterfell, has towers three times the size of that."

"Maybe after we break the Wall we could come back 'ere and live in that tower," Ygritte suggested.

Brian gadgeted uncomfortably. "We? As in, you and me?"

"Yeah, why not? Don't you like me? I like you, Brian Griffin." She narrowed her eyes. "Or is it that you're still a crow inside? I swore you weren't, so you better not be."

Suddenly, she grabbed him and kissed him full on the lips. Brian found himself kissing back. When they finally broke apart, Ygritte was flushed. "You're mine," she whispered. "Mine, as I'm yours. I know you're still loyal to your Watch, but we've got to be loyal to each other. Nothin' else matters. Everythin' will be okay as long as we don't betray each other."

"I won't betray you," Brian promised.